Giving for heaven

“We believe in this life-changing truth—the more someone gives, the more they receive. It seems like the more we give to support the Church, the more resources are available for us to give. We support the Church because it has a mission consistent with our deep Catholic faith. We each had humble beginnings growing up in Wisconsin and Oklahoma. We met while working for United Airlines in Los Angeles and married. We now have three grown children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We started giving our time and resources more substantially when we moved to Denver years ago. The charity of our friends Bill Daniels and Father Woody rubbed off on us. They inspired us to help build the historic Samaritan House shelter, and we joined the Papal Foundation when Pope John Paul II formed it. As our resources grew, so did our giving. Many ministries in Denver and across the world have been touched by our support. Most of our giving goes toward priestly and religious vocation formation. When we give, we hope to spread the faith. People are hungry for God, and we need to make the Church come alive again. Nothing is more important than saving someone’s soul. Giving has always felt good and natural to us. It’s been a tremendous blessing. We don’t give to see our names on plaques or posted on buildings. Our goal is to give for heaven.”

John and Carol’s take on giving

Q: What advice would you give someone who is considering giving?

A: Get out of the box and open yourself. Be open. Sometimes you can get hurt. Sometimes you can get slapped down. Sometimes you don’t have the money you’d like to give. You give what you can, and you give what time you have. You give your heart. That’s the biggest thing you can give. Nothing is more important than saving someone’s soul.